


“There must be people who’d want to date us.”

by LulaIsAKitten



Series: First Kisses [28]
Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 08:58:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15312000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LulaIsAKitten/pseuds/LulaIsAKitten
Summary: Continuing the series of shorts of possible first kisses between these two. Got a few ideas. Feel free to submit prompts for anything you’d like to see in the comments below or over on Tumblr at lulacat3.





	“There must be people who’d want to date us.”

**Author's Note:**

  * For [moonlight_swicts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlight_swicts/gifts).



> A gift for moonlight_swicts. Thank you for the prompt!
> 
> “Cormoran doesn't think that Robin would be interested for him, and Robin doesn't think that Cormoran would be interested for her either. So in a conversation, Cormoran confess how much he thinks Robin is pretty and say that likes her, so Robin says that she's attracted for him too.”

“Come on, Ellacott, it’s Friday,” Strike said cheerfully, pulling on his coat. “Pub time.”

Robin glanced at her watch, about to comment on how early it was, and realised it was six o’clock. What had happened to the afternoon? She switched off her computer and picked up her things. She stretched as she stood, stiff from many hours of typing.

“We’ve done well this week,” she remarked, as they left the office and Strike locked the door. “I feel like we’ve got loads done.”

Strike hummed in agreement as they set off down the stairs. “And two cases finished and invoiced, which is always good,” he said.

“Oh, yeah - I rang the top two clients on the waiting list and set up meetings for Monday,” Robin said.

“Excellent - a truly work-free weekend,” Strike replied. “Not much I could do this weekend even if I wanted to.”

They emerged into the evening light and set off towards the pub, companionable, chatting. Robin was enjoying this new phase of their relationship. Things had seemed a little strained after she and Matthew first split up, like there was a kind of tension between herself and Strike for a while. She wondered now if she had imagined it, that all that had happened was she had suddenly noticed how attractive she found him once she was single. But then he had dated one of Nick’s colleagues for a while, and she had gone out with someone her flatmate introduced her to a few times, and any tension between them had faded. She was now quite enjoying being single again, and had no idea if he was dating anyone. He still didn’t talk about his private life much.

In fact, she thought as they sat down with their drinks, I could just ask him. We’re friends, after all. So she did.

“How’s Sian?” she asked, casually. Strike raised an eyebrow in surprise at what was, for them, a personal question, but he allowed it.

“That finished a while ago,” he said. Robin had suspected as much, and nodded. “You seeing anyone else?” she asked.

He shook his head. “How about you? Dan, is it?”

She shook her head too. “Only went out three times,” she said. “I just didn’t feel the spark, you know? Wasn’t fair to string him along, he seemed keen.”

Of course he was, thought Strike. Who wouldn’t be? But he just nodded. “No one else on the horizon, then?”

Robin shook her head again and sighed. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to meet anyone,” she said. “There must be plenty of eligible men in London, but all the ones I meet just aren’t...” she tailed off.

Strike looked at her, his interest piqued. He’d assumed that Matthew was her type, and as far as he could see there were plenty of him about, arrogant young men in sharp suits who knew all the trendy places to be seen.

“Aren’t what?” he asked, intrigued.

“They aren’t... They’re just boys,” she said. How to explain what she meant? She didn’t want a handsome, empty-headed guy with money and a boring job. She wanted someone with passion, with fierce intelligence and discipline, who cared about his work and his friends, a real man who... Oh, crap, she thought. Oh, no.

She knew she was blushing. Strike was frowning at her, puzzled and amused. Change the subject, quick, she told herself.

“You haven’t got your eye on anyone, then?” she asked. Strike shook his head. I can’t see the only woman I’m interested in at the moment ever looking at me that way, he thought.

“We are a pair,” Robin said, grinning suddenly. “There must be people who’d want to date us, we just have to find them.”

“It’s tough to mix dating with this job,” Strike said. “Everyone I’ve been out with eventually gets fed up with me never being available on the right evenings, always being tired and distracted, having to take phone calls at awkward times. They don’t understand.”

“Well, it must be possible,” Robin said stoutly. “They must be out there. There must be a guy in the whole of London who’d want to date me.”

Strike snorted into his pint and she glared at him in mock outrage. “What was that snort for?” she demanded.

Strike looked at her. “There are plenty,” he said. “Every guy we encounter, usually.”

She waved a dismissive hand.

“Seriously, Robin,” he said. “You must have noticed.”

“They like my hair, I guess,” she conceded. Strike rolled his eyes a little.

“Your hair, your eyes, your smile, your —” Strike waved a vague hand that was meant to encompass the rest of her, her curves, the sway of her hips... and hurriedly shut up, flushing. There was an awkward pause. Robin looked pink, but pleased.

“Well,” she went on presently. “You’re not exactly short of female attention. Half the clients who walk into the office want to sleep with you.”

Strike scowled into his pint, but she wasn’t letting him get away with shutting her up after what he’d said. “Really,” she said. “You’ve got this military thing going on, this... presence, the way you fill a room, the way you look right into people with those eyes. It’s sexy.”

Strike raised his eyebrows and regarded her steadily. Robin could feel herself blushing furiously once more. She’d said too much again. In five minutes this conversation had gone from friendly to what? Awkward? Flirtatious?

“Did we just...?” she began, and tailed off again, unable to find the words to finish the sentence. She wished he’d stop looking at her with eyes that saw right into her head, her heart, her soul.

His mouth twisted in a half smile. “Form some sort of mutual appreciation society?” he said, and his words were joking but his eyes were still regarding her coolly, fondly. Robin’s heart began to flutter suddenly.

“Cormoran, I...” she began, and stopped. Was this a good idea? But if there was a chance...

“We work together, and I don’t want anything to affect that,” she said, slowly. “But I think the reason I can’t find someone I want to date is that none of them match up to you. They’re all just boys by comparison.” She dropped her gaze to the table, slim fingers fiddling with the edge of her beer mat, cheeks glowing.

Strike drew a shuddering breath, his heart pounding. “Same,” he said. “Anyone I date is just too... bland, too ordinary. You understand the job, you get the fascination, and you’re...” he paused. How to encompass her cool blue-grey eyes, the curve of her lips, the way she carried herself? “..beautiful,” he finished, inadequately.

She raised her eyes to his. They looked at one another for a moment, a moment that stretched.

Strike wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly they were kissing. Robin’s mouth was cool and fresh against his, her lips soft, and she sighed against him as he kissed her. She pressed closer to him, her arm sliding around his neck, pulling him in to deepen the kiss. There was a long blissful moment, and then her mouth twisted against his and he realised she was grinning. He pulled back a little, rested his forehead on hers.

“What?” he murmured, amused. “Is kissing me funny?”

She giggled softly. “Well, kind of,” she said, and he sat back a little and raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Not the actual kiss,” she said hurriedly. “That was lovely. Just the fact of it. We were only coming out for a Friday night drink like we always do. We’ve only been sat here five minutes. What happened?”

Strike laughed. “It was a bit of an abrupt change of gear,” he said. “Would you like to start again, build up to it a bit more slowly?”

Robin smiled softly at him. “We’ve been building up to it for months,” she said. “I don’t think we could have gone any slower.”

“Well, in that case,” he murmured, leaning forward again, “stop giggling and just enjoy it.” And he kissed her again.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Some pure fluff to balance out the smutty one ;)


End file.
